GHOST CABIN ☆ EARTHMIX AU

Part eleven: nature, philosophy, and animals

"If having a soul means being able to feel love, and loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

- James Herriot

Strangely, Mix wasn't even hungry. So walking downstairs he only grabbed one red apple, taking the first sweet bite, he walked out of the cabin. Sitting on the porch and taking another bite of the apple he watched as the tips of the trees were dancing in the slightly stronger wind than what it was when he was taking his relaxing lake bath.

Stronger wind can mean rain in near future. Mix finished his apple and walked down the stairs, ready to roam around and snap some pictures. Alone.

He was deciding which way to go when the sound of the splashing water caught his attention. A couple of ducks were cruising a lake, occasionally moving their wings, stirring up the lake surface.

"Ducks, huh?" The first animals, Mix saw in the Canadian wilderness were ducks. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He made quiet steps closer to the lake, careful not to scare the ducks away.

Preparing his camera, he squatted next to the lake, ready to take some shots. He took the first photo when the ducks turned his way and to his surprise, they swam closer to him, stopping almost near the edge of the lake. 

"Hi, there. Do you like posing for photos?" Mix asked, smiling for himself and taking a few more photos of the two models.

Mix loved animals. He always did. More than people, actually. Already in kindergarten Mix always said that he wants to be friends with animals when the adults asked the overused, annoying and straight-up manipulating question.

Because really — asking children who don't even know how to read or write, what they want to be when they grow up and then continuing to asking that same question over and over again throughout their entire childhood and then teen years until they are finally adults and maybe even then — that's kinda messed up. Especially when every time children answer what they want to be, and God beholds, it isn't something that adults deem profitable or useful, they just shut it down, telling the children that what they want to be isn't a good idea, how they should be something else. Became a doctor, became a lawyer, a politician... And honestly, that messes with children's minds.

Children are easily influenced. Even after one 'lecture' like this from an adult, children's vivid dream of what they want to become starts to blur, suddenly it isn't so straightforward, suddenly there isn't only one right answer to that question. And in many cases, those children will one day find themselves in the job they don't like, the job that doesn't fill up their heart with joy, the job that makes them more depressed rather than happy...all of that thanks to the adults and their favourite question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Mix didn't even register, that his two models flew away. He got carried away by his own thoughts for a moment. Well, actually not his own thoughts. Mix got this from one article he read when he was around fifteen. It was an article about the adults' influence on the developing mind of children. That article was actually pretty old, from the 1960s — if he remembered correctly. But till this day, almost a decade later it still resonated with him...because he was also one of those children.

Every time he had said he wanted to be friends with animals, the adults shut him down saying, 'you can't be friends with animals, Mix. That doesn't give you anything.' And later when he was old enough to know the better word for what he wanted to be, Mix started saying that he wants to be a vet. And of course, adults weren't satisfied again — 'but why vet? Why not be a doctor for humans?'

But Mix was a stubborn child and he is a stubborn adult. So when he said he wanted to be a vet, he became a vet. Adults can choke with their clever opinions, for all he cared.

When he decided to come up there in the wilderness he thought about it for a few days.  He wanted to ask the sheriff if he could be of some kind of help for animals in the area — at least leaving food for them or something.

But when sheriff LeBlanc brought Mix to the cabin and told him the ghost story, which freaking end up being true...Mix kind of forgot to ask. He needed to do that when the sheriff comes for his weekly visit.

It would be nice to be able to take care of animals. Even for the wild one. They also need some care, some food, water, some love and appreciation. Animals are better than people. At least they don't fake their emotions towards you. If they like you, you know it. And if they don't...well you know it too. The same thing, however, can't be really said about people.

Mix ran his hand through his hair, now really getting back to reality. That was enough philosophical thinking for a day. He was starting to be like Khao. Mister philosopher.

He snapped one picture of the way sparkling silvery water contrasted with warm earthy colours of the fallen leaves, floating gently on the lake surface.

Two shots of the maple tree with its vivid red and brownish crown, and probably a million shots of a hedgehog!

Mix was taking a picture of the maple tree leaf crown, through which the sun was shining right at his face when he heard a cracking and shuffling of the leaves close to him. His first instinct was to — ironically — call for the ghost.

 "Earth?"

But nothing. Where was he? Mix was starting to worry but then he heard that sound again and his eyes caught a movement. Something was moving under a small leaf pile next to his feet. Mix backed away two-three steps and waited for what will rose up from the pile. It obviously wasn't Earth.

A tiny brown thing tiptoed from the pile, its prickly body carrying leaf's leftovers. Mix almost awed at the sight. It was a young hedgehog, his small nose was moving — Mix could hear the constant quite loud huffing. "Aren't you a cutie?"

For the next ten minutes, Mix was taking photos of his adorable companion, until the hedgehog decided he had enough and ran away...he was actually pretty fast!

"Bye, bye, it was nice meeting you," Mix called after the adorable animal and then he felt a first droplet touching his skin.

So the wind did bring the rain.

Mix turned towards the cabin, deciding to snap one quick picture of it before he runs inside and let the rain cleanse the world.

When Mix got inside his hair were already wet. The rain started pouring in the snap of the moment. He took out the camera from his hoodie and looked at the last photo he managed to take. The Ghost Cabin looked — Mix had to admit — majestic. Yes the cabin was old but it was taken care of more than well, and there was a certain aura surrounding it. It screamed rich history.

Mix was about to turn off the camera when something called his attention. It was in the corner of the photo. On the porch, the same spot he had sat on when he was eating the apple. It almost looked like a silhouette. It was a white blur. Mix would probably shrug it off, thinking it was just the sun reflection but, when he took the photo, it was already raining. The sun was gone, replaced by greyish clouds.

So if it wasn't reflection of the sun...could it be?

To be continued...

P.S. I hope, you enjoyed Mix and his adorable animal companions. 🤎❤